I’m-a-Father-Now Moments: When Dads Turn to Their Smartphones

Share this article

Close

Link Copied

I’m-a-Father-Now Moments: When Dads Turn to Their Smartphones

Danny Kim,
Jonathan Chen,
Nitin Gajria,
Bernice Teo
June 2016

Taking care of a new baby is a big responsibility for everyone, and dads can be just as busy as moms. In their moments of need, dads across APAC are turning to their mobiles for information and advice—anything to help during those challenging first months with a newborn.

With Father’s Day approaching, we asked three Googlers to share their daddy micro-moments and give marketers a better understanding on how they can be there and be useful for dads. Here’s what they said.

Danny & Danielle (5 months)

I’d-do-anything-for-some-shut-eye moments

In the first month we brought our baby home, her sleep training was a work in progress. After spending an hour trying to put her to sleep one night (thank goodness she somehow magically did fall asleep), I was exhausted. I could have called up my parents who live halfway across the globe for help, but it was easier to pull out my phone and research online. There were a lot of materials online, which required some reading. My wife and I tried various methods and in the end it all paid off. As the saying goes, “she sleeps like a baby!”

Is-my-baby-ok moments

One afternoon, Danielle rolled off her bed during nap time and fell to the floor. My wife messaged me, alarmed, and I immediately pulled out my phone and searched, "baby fell on the floor." Surprisingly, there were tons of panicked parents who had similar experiences. As I read through their questions, answers, and comments, I found some peace of mind, and learned what to look out for before taking her to the doctor.

Jonathan & Makaylla (3 ½ months)

No-time-to-cook moments

As with any newborn, it’s a full-time job to feed, bathe, change, prep bottles, do laundry, and put the baby to sleep. After the first few weeks home from the hospital, my mother-in-law was leaving and I was returning to work. I was afraid my wife wouldn’t have time to eat on her own, let alone cook. I went online and looked up food delivery services that could provide hot, prepared food for mommy while she took care of the baby. We came across many choices, but it was very difficult to determine which providers would deliver to our area. We came across many choices, and with a simple search, we were able to find a provider that serviced our area. Now, both mommy and baby eat well.

I-need-a-break moments

Babies love to be entertained, held, and played with. While it's adorable, it gives us parents very little time to do much else. As new parents, we love to use our Chromecast to watch YouTube on our TV, so that we can still do stuff around the house and watch what we want to. It gives my wife time to catch up on her favorite shows and me time to catch up on mine, and sometimes, it even entertains the baby so we can have time to eat.

Nitin & Veer, 4 months

What-do-I-do moments

The first time my wife Carissa left Veer with me, I started off pretty confident. I had a bottle in the fridge, ready to go. When Veer got hungry, I panicked—I suddenly realized that I hadn’t clearly listened to Carissa’s instructions on how to get the bottle ready. Luckily, YouTube saved the day (and Veer from tears)!

Is-this-normal moments

As Veer hit new milestones, his sleep patterns went awry. He's now more fussy, and is crankier with strangers. This got us worried until I went online and looked up a number of forums such as babycenter.com and kellymom.com. I read the comments, which reassured me that Veer is going through a growth spurt and that these changes are perfectly normal.

I-need-just-the-right-gift moments

I’ve been wanting to buy Veer a gift from his birth year, one that I can pass on to him when he's much older, so I've been researching some nice watches. That got me wondering why no maker of luxury goods is targeting a parent like me with some relevant suggestions. The fact that I'm a new dad is inherent in my digital footprint, so I'd be easy to reach. And if the idea is relevant, I'd be an easy sale!

Winning dads' micro-moments

Today, there are no longer online and offline consumers, only consumers. Fatherhood has changed everything, from sleep habits and meals to what's streaming through our speakers. Here’s how marketers can win dads’ micro-moments:

Be There

Find the micro-moments your brand can win by identifying the most searched topics by dads around your brand and category on mobile. You are the expert in your area, so be sure to leverage off your team’s knowledge of consumer behavior and their path to purchase. The real magic happens when you support this with data. Handy tools for this include Google Trends and Google Analytics.

Based on the micro-moments you have identified, examine and grow your share of intent by increasing your mobile ad coverage.

Be Useful

Remember that dads often look up information mid-task, so create content that’s both relevant and snackable. Think of how Danny was holding Danielle in one hand while searching on his phone with the other. He needed a quick, useful answer, without having to crawl through pages and pages of content.

Understand the time of day or the location where dad’s are looking up information so that you can be there with the right information at the right time. For example, Jonathan was having a hard time finding food delivery options in his area. Make sure your content is easy to discover; use popular Sitelinks, Location Extensions and Click To Call to provide useful information in the moments that matter.

Be Accountable

Connect the dots across screens and channels in order to measure the full impact of your digital spend. Nitin wanted to give baby Veer a watch. In today’s day and age, no one would think twice if he searched for inspiration online, and winds up making the final purchase at a store nearby. Digitally successful brands understand this and are ready to help consumers seal the deal and measure appropriately, irrespective of whether the consumer finally makes the purchase from home, the car, or the store.